The government will "proactively upgrade and revitalise" neighbourhoods and housing to align with Singaporeans' "evolving needs, lifestyle and aspirations", said Senior Minister of State for National Development Sim Ann.

Sim shared plans for upgrading towns and flats during the Committee of Supply debates on Mar. 5, 2024.

Neighbourhood Renewal Programme

The fifth phase of the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP) will be extended to Housing & Development Board (HDB) blocks built up to 1999.

Previously, only blocks built up to 1995 were eligible, and this will move will benefit over 100,000 additional flats, Sim said.

Sim said that the new phase will see more senior-friendly amenities, such as therapeutic gardens with wheelchair-friendly planter boxes, fitness trails connecting senior-centric amenities and wayfinding features.

"These amenities enhance the safety and connectivity of our neighbourhoods while helping seniors stay active and navigate confidently around their neighbourhoods," she said.

The first batch of precincts to be upgraded under the phase will be selected by the end of 2024.

Older estates

For older precincts that have already undergone upgrading and do not qualify for NRP, "senior-friendly enhancements" will be rolled out over the next five years, Sim shared.

As announced in November 2023, these areas include the towns of Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Merah, Queenstown and Toa Payoh, and enhancements will start with a pilot in Ang Mo Kio.

Rising costs

The ministry is also "reviewing and adjusting programme budgets" after taking into consideration "prevailing macroeconomic trends and changes in tender price indices".

"With a continued increase in costs, we are prepared to further increase the NRP budget," Sim said.

Home Improvement Programme

Regarding concerns about the deterioration of buildings such as spalling concrete, Sim said that there are inspection regimes in place to detect and rectify these problems in "a timely manner".

She said that such inspections include checks for spalling concrete and structural cracks for both common areas and within the flat.

Under the Goodwill Repair Assistance Scheme, flat owners will be subsidised 50 per cent of the repair costs from HDB, she added.

Additionally, in the longer term, every flat will be upgraded twice.

Flats will be first upgraded when they are about 30 years old, and a second time when they are about 60 to 70 years old, under the Home Improvement Programme (HIP).

Under the scheme, HDB will "fully subsidise" the cost of repairs for spalling concrete and structural cracks.

"HDB is currently working out the prioritisation and implementation details," she said.

Lift concerns

Sim also spoke about the Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP), saying that it has brought direct lift access to around 5000 blocks.

Now, around 99 per cent of all HDB blocks have direct lift access or have benefited from the LUP.

However, it is not feasible to add lift shafts and lifts to some blocks due to "cost or technical constraints", she said.

These include older blocks where same floor lift access was "not required as a condition of design".

"In some of these cases the costs [of upgrading lift access] can be more than S$200,000 per benefiting household," she said.

For households that urgently need direct lift access, or for those living in blocks that cannot undergo LUP, the government offers a Lift Access Housing Grant of up to S$30,000 to help homeowners buy a flat with direct lift access, Sim shared.

Lift Replacement Fund

Sim said that the Lift Replacement Funds (LRF) was introduced in 2017 because "town councils have been significantly under-saving for lift replacements".

"Lift replacements are very infrequent, but involve heavy drawdown funds when they are due as lifts built in the same period will need to be replaced around the same time," she explained.

Hence, the LRF allows town councils to pay for any capital expense relating to lift replacements in HDB estates, she said.

"We will continue to review the framework periodically to ensure that they keep pace with changes to the operating context," she added.

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